City approves 5-room annex for local hostel

NotSo Hostel on Spring Street, a haven for international visitors seeking cheap lodging, plans to open an annex site at 33 Cannon St. by year's end.

Property manager Vikki Matsis said the second building will add five rooms to the setup. Each costs $60 per night and includes private parking, breakfast and WiFi Internet access.

"I just feel like Charleston needs a bigger hostel," Matsis said. "When somebody comes from out of town or out of the country and they don't have anywhere to stay, they're looking at $200 per night."

Dorm lodging begins as low as $21 in the Spring Street location, which includes a four-person room and an eight-person room.

"We don't raise our prices for the summer, the in-season or any holiday," Matsis said.

She took NotSo Hostel's case to city officials Tuesday night, requesting a variance for the annex. With that blessing in hand, the new rooms should open for business in the coming months.

Tourism uptick

Attraction attendance made strides this spring and summer, according to new numbers from the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce's Center for Business Research.

April alone brought in nearly 27,000 more visitors. May and June showed modest improvements, and July welcomed 15,000 more people to local sites.

In a separate set of data, the College of Charleson's Office of Tourism Analysis reported a 4 percent hotel occupancy decline in July, the lowest year-over-year drop yet in 2009. Occupancy came in at 72 percent last month.

Customers paid an average of about $114, or nearly 7 percent, less than in July 2008.

Dishing online

Woodlands Inn in Summerville last week launched a blog called "A Collaborative Kitchen: Musings From a Five-Star Culinary Staff."

The often-updated site serves up short posts from the faces behind the area's only property with the industry's highest ratings for both accommodations and dining.

The blog aims to share cooking tips and food commentary as well as news from Woodlands' Dining Room.

Pastry Chef Caitlin Kelly reminisces on her father's fondness for espresso with sambuca and describes the dessert she created with that in mind. Sommelier Stephane Peltier dishes about wine, while executive chef Nate Whiting shares the ins and outs of cleaning shrimp.

The blog updates at www.collaborativekitchen.com.

Reach Allyson Bird at abird@postandcourier.com.